


Unexpected Tail

by LaughingStones



Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Clubbing, Dirty Dancing, Heero is socially clueless, Multi, Naga, Quatre is totally prince of the selkies, beatboxing as a strange human artform, but since there will never be a sequel I'll just mention that here, capoeira - sort of, merfolk can't breathe air, selkies mentioned but not appearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-14
Updated: 2015-04-14
Packaged: 2018-03-22 23:16:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3747226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaughingStones/pseuds/LaughingStones
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The underwater kingdom of Sanc recently ended the war with its colonies when the scion of the Peacecraft family took power once more.  Heero Yuy is Relena Peacecraft's bodyguard, and he is under strict orders to take the night off.</p>
<p>He finds himself in a club and learns that Wufei frequents the place.  According to him the DJ is something special, but Heero didn't expect that to be quite so true.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unexpected Tail

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Pi (Rhea)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rhea/gifts).



> My beloved cousin and beta named Gundam Wing as one of the fandoms she would like to receive a story in, and as possible themes named merpeople and the voice on the radio. I managed the DJ part, but my muse preferred dancing instead of the radio. This is the first Gundam Wing fic I've written in the last decade, so I have no idea how my character voices are.
> 
> The title was chosen for multiple layers of pun.

The club was in full swing when Heero swam in.  The beat resounded through the water, vibrating against his skin, and after a moment he recognized the music as a remix of the electronica whale song that was apparently such a big hit right now.  Relena did her best to keep him current, but he would easily admit she had her work cut out for her.

She also insisted that he take time off to have fun, which was the sum total of the reasons he was here.  He had argued that assassins didn't take time off from trying to kill royalty, royal bodyguards should slack off even less, but Relena had pointed to Trowa, floating nearby ready to pick up the duty.  Trowa had lifted an eyebrow at him and asked if his competence was being called into question, and the end of it was Heero dressed in gold bangles, with jeweled tail hoops that notably increased water resistance, swimming into the hottest club in the city.

After the first practiced glance around, he knew no one present was armed, but the group in the upper right hand corner was on something and might start trouble in a few minutes.  A moment later he noticed the large, muscular mer wearing the club's logo on her sash, who was keeping an eye on the potential problem.  Well, maybe he could relax.

...And do what, exactly?  He was here because Relena had told him to "go out dancing or something really fun!" and according to the city database, this was where most people of Heero's age range went to dance.  He wasn't certain what the point was of dancing without anyone specific to dance with or try to impress.  Apparently he was supposed to pick a stranger he found attractive, but generally he found it difficult to be attracted to anyone by appearance alone.

After looking around a little more, he found an acceptable place to linger by a wall near the top of the room.  From there he could easily monitor the whole area and better judge if anyone might be worth approaching.

He'd been watching interchangeably pretty merfolk flirt with each other and gyrate with varying degrees of skill for some time when a familiar tail-flick caught his eye.  A second later the tail's owner saw him, and then Wufei was swimming full speed at him, smirking.  He stopped with an easy twist an arm's length away and raised an eyebrow.

"I can't imagine that Relena could be here with so little fuss, but the alternative is to accept that you're here on your own, which seems equally unlikely.  In any case, it's good to see you again."

"I'll agree with that," Heero said, smiling.  "I'd no idea you were back from your last mission."

"Got in last night.  I gave my unofficial report already, and the official one will be ready soon, so you'll be appraised then."

Heero gave back the sardonic eyebrow a bit more subtly.  "Your report's not finished yet, and you're in here?"

Wufei didn't bristle as he once would have, but turned to watch the room as Heero was, smiling slightly.  "Unlike some people," he said, "I don't have to be ordered to relax."

Heero gave him a sideways look.

Wufei sent it back.  "What, was I not supposed to guess that you're here only under duress?"

"I know how to relax," Heero said mildly.  "I'm just not clear where this place comes into it."

"Ah," Wufei said, sounding pleased.  "Well, I trust that will become obvious shortly.  Follow me."

Frowning at his back, Heero gave in to curiosity and obeyed.  Halfway up the wall in one corner of the room was the DJ's enclosed booth.  Wufei led the way to a rest niche on the same level with a clear view through the booth window.  Heero propped his elbows on the padded platform emerging from the wall next to Wufei's and glanced through the window.  This was an excellent vantage point for watching the DJ, but he was unsure why one would want to.

"What do you see?" Wufei said, smiling slightly.

"DJ is a young male, approximately twenty years old," Heero said promptly.  "Long braid, wears woven arm bands typical of the old dissident group known as the Sweepers, tail color and type unknown unless he swims a bit higher."

"Anything of interest to note?"

Heero studied the fellow a moment longer and ventured, "Cheap necklaces and bracelet suggest he's either new at the job or they don't pay standard rates here.  He seems to enjoy his work, judging by the grin.  Hn.  Muscle formation consistent with some fighting ability.  Symmetrical features, compatible with the cultural standard of beauty."  He shot Wufei a look.  "Does he appeal to you?"

Wufei gave back a perfectly level look behind which he was obviously laughing.  "Well, yes, since you ask, but for more reasons than the physical."

"I'm hardly going to discover those by staring at him," Heero pointed out.

"True.  And it's nearly time for him to start showing off, so you'll understand in a moment."

"I'm going to be impressed by a DJ showing off?"

Wufei gave him a blank-faced amused look.  "Trust me."

Eyes narrowed, Heero went back to watching.  After a few minutes, the club lights dimmed enough that the glow from the cages of fluorescent fish scattered around the room became useful.  The crowd took this as a cue to begin cheering, and most of the dancers stilled in anticipation long moments before the music dropped to silence.  The DJ's booth abruptly lit up inside and the DJ grinned and waved as the crowd responded delightedly.

Heero frowned.  Something was wrong with the booth windows; they had an oddly wavering horizontal line about halfway up, and it wasn't until he saw a splash above it that he understood.

"That's - there's air in the booth," he said blankly.  Was someone trying to sabotage the show?

"Mm-hm," Wufei agreed.

Heero shot him an annoyed look and redoubled his attention.  Fine, if Wufei had some appreciation for the fellow and wasn't concerned, clearly there was no emergency.  This must somehow be according to plan.

He was still mildly unnerved when the DJ swam higher in the booth, head breaking the surface of the water as the rest of his body became visible - and there was something off about his tail, it was too long and slender, not the right shape at all, and there was something about the pattern of the scales -

"He's a naga?" he burst out in startlement.

"He is."

Heero blinked at his companion.  "And you..."

Wufei slid him a look of mixed amusement and exasperation.  "No, that's not why.  Pay attention."

"Hey kids, how's everybody doing tonight?" the DJ said, sounding through the speakers placed around the room, and the crowd cheered, waving their hands above them.  His voice was ordinary enough, pleasant but nothing remarkable, Heero thought.  There was only a slight difference to the sound, which had to be the effect of speaking in air instead of water.  "You all ready for some improv?"  More cheering.  "All right, let's go."

A beat started up, some sort of unfamiliar percussion, and Heero frowned a little, realizing that Wufei was watching for his reaction.  Clearly he was missing something.  He looked back at the DJ just as a new sound joined the mix, a rushing like a stream of bubbles in a current, but quick and rhythmic.  Heero had no idea what was so exciting about this, what had the crowd flicking hands and tails to the beat while still utterly focused on the DJ's booth.

Then he realized the DJ's mouth and throat were moving with the sounds.

"He's - how is he doing that?"

"It's a human sort of music, apparently," Wufei said.  "He's said previously that he spent some time on land and picked it up then."

"So it only works in air?"

Wufei shrugged.  "I presume."

They watched as he built up a rhythmic background of interwoven beats, voiced and clicked and hissed, adding each new one on recorded loop to play with the rest.  It was oddly catchy, Heero had to admit.  His own tail was flicking slightly in time.  Still, was Wufei's regard really so easily won?

Abruptly, all the sound cut off at once.  At a loss, Heero glanced around, but the crowd was just as intent as before.  He looked back at the booth and the DJ opened his mouth and sang.

After a long, stunned moment, Heero remembered to shut his mouth.  "All right," he said in an undertone, "I suppose I understand now."

"You suppose?" Wufei murmured.

The beat slammed back in and the DJ's voice soared above the driving rhythm of the music, sending a shiver over Heero's skin.  It seemed impossible that a sound so rich, dark and nuanced could come from such an ordinary-looking person, but it was now completely clear to Heero how an entire club full of people could have such an intense appreciation for one man.

The crowd was dancing again, gyrating more wildly than before.  Heero could understand the temptation better now; there was something in this music that seemed to pull at the body, made it want to move.  Unfamiliar as the sensation was, he found it intriguing.

Now the DJ was harmonizing against the vocal track he'd just established.  Heero shivered at that incredible voice doubled on itself, and Wufei caught his eye.

"If you're thoroughly convinced, perhaps you'd like to draw and hold his attention?"

Heero frowned at him and opened his mouth, but Wufei's laugh forestalled him.

"No, not as a diversion!  I simply meant, if you look around, you'll notice that at least a third of the people here are specifically trying to pique his interest.  Sometimes it works, sometimes not.  I haven't tried yet because my strategy for thoroughly securing his notice requires a second person.  You game to try?"

"To what end?"

"Getting to meet him, maybe taking him home."

Heero gave him a dubious look.  "You expect me to believe you'll help attract his attention and then peacefully cede your claim?"

Wufei's smile went sly and his dark eyes were suddenly intense.  "Oh, I hadn't planned on ceding anything.  I thought we should share him."

After a long moment of silence, his smile faded, face taking on a wry cast, and Heero abruptly realized he was staring open-mouthed at his companion.

"Oh," he said, feeling like an idiot.  He frowned out at the dancers, noting idly that the majority on level with the booth window did seem to direct their most impressive moves toward the booth.  It would fit in perfectly if Wufei and he joined in the general endeavor.  To catch the DJ, the source of that stunning voice, and share him with Wufei...  He vaguely suspected he wasn't supposed to be intrigued, but it was ridiculous to imagine either himself or Wufei beginning to act unprofessionally on the job due to this sort of entanglement, and that was the only caution against it he could think of.  "That seems sensible," he said.  "What was your intended strategy?"

Hand-to-hand sparring at half speed, it turns out, was what Wufei had in mind.  Heero hadn't realized before how the training ritual appeared from an outsider's perspective; he was used to watching for weaknesses and openings, studying his opponent's fighting style.  In this new setting, the intrinsic grace of the forms became obvious, the way Wufei arched to avoid a strike a thing of beauty.  Heero found himself moving more smoothly to match, controlling the arc of a spinning punch to be less lethal than showy as Wufei flicked out of the way and curled in behind him.  Whirling to meet him, Heero took his turn folding backwards away from a blow, and found he was smiling when he straightened up.

Wufei smirked back at him and lashed out with his tail.  Raising an eyebrow, Heero reacted to potential hidden blades secured near the fins, avoiding the attack entirely instead of blocking it.  They had fallen into a rhythm now, moving to the driving beat of the DJ's vocal music, and Heero thought from what he'd seen of the moves other patrons were using, this should easily pass for dancing.

Even at half speed, they were both moving quickly enough to catch and enthrall the eye.  By the time Heero noticed, they already had several onlookers gathered nearby.  Wufei threw him a sly splinter of a grin and went into a flashy spiral attack, which Heero met with the appropriate counter-spiral.  The observers made startled impressed noises and Wufei looked smug.

Heero feinted and got in close, rolling his eyes just for Wufei to see before the other pulled away again, fighting back laughter.  They were both breathing fast by now.  Dark eyes gleaming, Wufei hid his smile and launched into a back-diving circle, a braggart's move that taunted the opponent to attack while his back was turned.   Amused, Heero followed on his tail to keep out of his line of sight, cheating to speed up just enough that when Wufei came round to face him a few seconds later, he wasn't there.

He caught on instantly, of course, and spun with narrowed eyes to catch Heero behind him, and then the spar was on in greater earnest.

Until someone said, "Damn, I'd ask to cut in, but I'm not sure I could keep up!"

Wufei pulled back enough to signal a halt and they turned to the speaker.

That snake tail was much longer than a mertail, and rippled and coiled slowly through the water.  The DJ's eyes were so blue they were nearly violet, and Heero thought at this range his speaking voice sounded less ordinary than it had before.  Or perhaps that was the effect of speaking in water instead of air.

"I suspect you're being modest, but most people would have trouble matching us," Wufei said. "Perhaps in a different setting, with a different dance, you might have a decent chance."

Heero stared at him in startlement.  For Wufei, that was blatant innuendo, though his tone was simple fact.  The real meaning was in the sudden heat of his dark eyes on the DJ's face.

"Yeah?"  His grin was broad and white, showing teeth sharper than any mer's, and his gaze flicked between them.  "With you, or both of you?"

"Why not try and find out?" Wufei said.

Heero found himself swallowing, feeling distinctly odd all of a sudden.  Tension filled the space around them, but it wasn't the lethal kind he was used to.  It sent heat slipping up his spine quite apart from the temperature of the water, and his upper tail-fins twitched involuntarily.  He shouldn't let Wufei do all the talking, he ought to say something.

"Aren't you supposed to be singing?"

Judging by the amused look Wufei shot him, that was not what he'd been meant to say.  The DJ started laughing.  “Wow, make a guy feel welcome, did I interrupt something here?”

Heero frowned slightly.  It was clear by his body language that he wasn’t actually confused about the issue, and the rhetorical question seemed to be meant partly as humor and partly as flirtation, not requiring a response.

Startled by his silence, the DJ laughed again, then smirked at Heero.  "You’re a pretty funny guy.  I do get breaks, you know.  Usually sing once a set, just before break."

"Oh."  Music still played, but he must have queued up a list to autoplay during his break.  Heero might be musically clueless, but technology he understood.  The compliment, if it had been one, he ignored.

The DJ tilted his head.  "I got time before the break ends, so...  How bout you boys try to impress me?"

Wufei smiled slowly, eyes half-lidded.  "I accept.  Heero?"  He glanced over.

Heero blinked and shrugged.  "Accepted."

The DJ grinned back, cocky.  "So," he said, "you ready?"  He swept his arms up over his head, waiting for agreement.

Wufei met Heero's eyes and shrugged slightly, looking back at the DJ.  "Certainly."

The DJ started to dance.  It was a sinuous, undulating sort of movement, entirely different from the play-fighting Wufei and Heero had been doing.  Wufei moved around behind the DJ, flicking a hand at Heero in command, and Heero obediently moved in at the front.  He was not expecting the DJ to immediately shift closer and almost moved back again, but Wufei peered over the naga’s shoulder and caught his eye, jerking his head meaningfully.  Heero reluctantly closed the distance, pressing his body up against the DJ’s as Wufei pressed close on the other side.

This style of dancing wasn’t exactly familiar to Heero, but he caught on quickly enough.  The goal seemed to be to move against one’s partner in such a way as to arouse desire, preferably simulating a sexual encounter.  Heero wasn’t sure what the hell the point was of initially imitating the act one was hoping to instigate at a later time, but it did seem to be effective.  His breathing was quickening, his body temperature rising, and from the way the DJ’s slitted pupils were dilating, Heero wasn’t the only one experiencing the physiological changes associated with sexual arousal.  

One hand on Heero’s hip, the other trailing down his chest, the DJ smiled at him with half-lidded eyes, catching his breath as Wufei leaned in to nuzzle his ear.  Heero had to admit that between the hands on him, the soft sounds, and the vision of a dark-eyed and intense Wufei behind the flushed, handsome naga, the whole situation was quite pleasant.  Cautiously, he reached out and laid his hands on the naga’s waist, stroking them slowly up and down.

Huh.  He could feel scars that hadn’t been noticeable to the eye.

“Where are you from?” he said abruptly.

The DJ’s eyes widened in startlement before he laughed again, but the laughter sounded more mocking this time than friendly.  “Hey, don’t go easy on me, man, just lay it out there with the loaded questions!”

Interesting.  If he was Sanc-born, he wouldn’t have noticed it was a loaded question.  Heero mentally raised his estimate of the probability that the DJ had fought _against_ the kingdom during the war.  Over the DJ’s shoulder, Wufei’s eyes were narrowed, watchful and intrigued.

Heero shrugged.  “I don’t consider it loaded.  I’m from First Light, up in the Shallows.”

He felt it when the DJ jerked, muscles tensing against him.  “What, seriously? I took you for a kingdom guy, you’re from a colony?”

Heero nodded once.

“For that matter,” Wufei put in, “I’m colony-born myself.  Five Leagues.”

“Yeah?”  The DJ looked back over his shoulder.  His hands on Heero’s hips were light and still, and he’d stopped dancing.  “Out by selkie territory, right?  Man, fucking tragedy about that place.”

“So,” Heero said as Wufei’s face went masked at the mention of his lost home, “which colony are you from?”

The look the DJ gave him was sharp and startled at first, then went thoughtful.  “Guess I kinda gave the game away, huh?  Twin Lampspires, east side of the reef.”

Heero nodded again, unsurprised.  None of the Sanc colonies were truly well-off, but Twin Lampspires was practically a ghetto.  It would’ve been more surprising for none of the inhabitants to be desperate enough to join the war.  “So were you with an outfit?”

Raising an eyebrow, the DJ tilted his head to one side.  “How come you’re assuming I was in the war?”

“My intuition is highly dependable when it comes to recognizing a fighter when I see one,” Heero said dryly.  “So.  Which unit?”

The DJ’s face closed off, and his eyes were bright and watchful.  “None!” he said cheerfully.  “I was on my own.”

“Huh,” said Heero.  “So was I.  More or less.”

Behind the DJ, Wufei smiled a little and shook his head.

“More or less, hmm?” the DJ said.  “Guess I could say that too.  Just one buddy fighting by my side.”

Heero had his suspicions as to the nature of that buddy, and apparently so did Wufei, who leaned forward and said in the DJ’s ear, “I had one friend as well.  The name of mine was Shenlong.”

Jerking, the DJ whipped around to stare at him.  Heero saw his lips move around the words “holy shit” though his voice was low enough to be lost under the music.  “Deathscythe,” he said, barely louder.

“So that makes three of us,” said Heero.

Blue eyes wide, the DJ stared back and forth between Heero and Wufei.  “I gotta get back in the booth,” he said abruptly, sounding somewhat lost. “Break’s almost over.  Are you guys, uh - “

“We’ll be here till closing,” Wufei told him.

This time, the smile the DJ flashed them both was crooked, his eyes searching their faces.  “Yeah,” he said.  “Yeah, okay, awesome.  See ya later, then.”

“Will you?”  Wufei said mildly, before he could turn away.  Heero privately agreed that the DJ’s sudden haste did seem suspicious.

“I damn well better!” the DJ retorted. He moved in close, putting his face near to both of theirs so he could lower his voice a little.  “You kidding me?  I run into not one, but two of you, and you expect me to let you just swim off?  Man, we’ve got stories to trade.  I get done tonight and you’re not here, I will track you down.”  

Heero raised an eyebrow.  “You don’t even know our names.”

The DJ smirked at him, broad and showy like a mask. “It’s funny that you think that matters.  I’m pretty good at finding things out.”

“I wasn’t actually suggesting that _we_ might not be here,” Wufei pointed out.  “You were the one who suddenly seemed in a hurry to get away.”

“Oh.”  His eyes widened, the mask cracking and falling away again.  The DJ glanced from Heero to Wufei, mouth twisted ruefully.  “Yeah, well, kind of a shock, you know, meeting you guys.  Need a minute to get my head around it, and I was serious anyway, it’s not like I get long breaks.”

“I see.”  Wufei smiled.  “Well then, you go, and be assured we’ll be waiting for you at closing time.”

“Deal.”  He turned and swam a length away, then turned back to call, “And I better get a kiss out of this, you mouthy bastard!”

Wufei snickered and rolled his eyes.  " _I'm_ the mouthy bastard," he said just loud enough for Heero to hear, as the DJ swam back to the booth.

Ignoring the comment, Heero watched the sinuous twist of that long tail until it vanished into the booth. Then he raised an eyebrow at Wufei.  “Exactly how long is it to closing?”


End file.
